Second Chances for Tortured Souls
by TheTimeInTheGlass
Summary: When Wheatley crashed back into Earth, he never expected to become human. He never expected to chase Chell halfway across America, either. But he did. In between new friends, old fears, and repressed memories are things far worse than Android Hell, and somehow he's caught in the middle of it. And suddenly, Wheatley realizes that his chances of survival just got very, very slim.
1. The First Second Chance

**A/N So I know that the Half-Life and Portal universes are essentially the same, and the Black Mesa Incident did occur, but has very minor impact on this story. There is no Combine invasion in this story. However, the world is less populated, has less advanced technology, and has smaller cities. Just thought it would be helpful to know that when reading. I hope you enjoy! **

I was about ready to die, if it was at all possible for a robot to die. Space had not improved in the several months that I had been stranded, and the Space Core was _still _excited about space. I could put myself in Sleep Mode, but it didn't make me feel any better or do anything to improve the situation. It was either quiet, lonely self-loathing or self-loathing with annoying accompaniment, and neither option was a very good one. I wished every day that I could go back and fix my mistakes, imagining scenarios about what I could have done and what could have happened had Chell and I escaped. I barely noticed the scenery around me, all those dizzying stars and the intimating Moon. I even missed the quickly approaching figure of the Earth. That is, until I was plummeting towards it, faster and faster, engulfed in flames, with the ground coming up to meet me. Then I fell into a world of yellow and everything went black.

I felt a sort of disorienting pain. There were a couple of clicking noises, and then it was black again.

I woke up in the Relaxation Vault. I felt weird, as if my entire body had been stretched out and hung to dry. I just lay there for a moment before I tried to see if I could move. Somehow, I ended up rolling off the bed and onto the floor. My body hurt worse and I felt liquid on my face. I groaned and sat up. Then I froze. I slowly raised my hands. I had hands. That had fingers. Those fingers could move. I stood and up and ran to a mirror on a nearby wall. I gasped at what I saw. There was a man standing there, with a disarray of dirty blonde hair and pale skin, wearing a gray jumpsuit with a white Aperture Science tank top and a pair of Long Fall Boots, like Chell had worn. The only unnatural thing about him was his startling bright blue eyes. My eyes. I was human. But I wasn't. I couldn't possibly have gone from machine to human just like that. "Hello, you monster." I jumped. GLaDOS had sounded as if she was right next to me. I looked around and saw vital testing apparatus on the walls. So at least I knew that she was monitoring me and my every move. "What did you do to me?!" I screamed. There was silence for a few moments, and I assumed she was ignoring me. Then, "I was experimenting." Experimenting? "Experimenting?" I asked. "I was trying to recreate the human body. I just needed a subject to try it out on. And then you showed up. So that was fortunate." Okay. So maybe I actually was human. Now what? Did she just expect to keep me here forever? "I rather enjoy watching your puny mind struggle in its weak thought processes, but we have testing to do." The door swung upon to reveal a long hallway ending with an elevator. I paused. "Aren't you afraid that I'll destroy the facility?" I asked. "That's where the neurotoxin comes in." She replies ominously. I take a deep breath. I look back at the small room. I tentatively take my first steps into the facility. The door swings shut behind me, and I'm left in darkness.


	2. Left in the Dark

I stand in the darkness for a couple of minutes. It's calming. I don't remember the last time I was left in complete darkness while being conscience. I don't even know if I ever was. But eventually I find my way to the elevator, with only slight tripping. Okay, _maybe _there was a lot of tripping. The elevator closes as soon as I step onto it. It starts to move down almost immediately, at an alarmingly fast rate, and I'm afraid the elevator is going to smash to the bottom and cause my death- an actual, physical death. Which I'm pretty sure can happen now. But after about ten seconds, the elevator screeches to a stop for a couple of seconds before it starts again- but this time it moves sideways. And I was still on the floor after the whole suddenly-stopping-after-going-65-miles-an-hour-in-an-elevator. The doors open on a brightly lit hallway, and I crawl out of the elevator as fast I possibly can. The doors close with a whoosh. My eyes begin to adjust to the light, and I see a big sign with the number 1 on it. A test chamber? I clamber heavily to my feet, and can feel the bruises already beginning to form. I step into the chamber and am met with an empty room with only a button in the middle. I hesitate to press it. For all I know, the whole room could fill with deadly neurotoxin and I would die. Why wasn't I dead yet? Didn't GLaDOS want to kill me? "GLaDOS!" I yell. I wait for a response. After about six minutes, I decide she isn't going to respond. I take a step towards the button and jump when she replies, falling and landing on my back. "What is it, you moron?" I resist the urge to yell that I was _not _a moron in favor of my original question. "Why don't you just kill me now? I thought you never wanted me to come back." There was a long pause. I push myself up and dust off my jumper, only to fall back down again when she speaks. "The Cooperative Testing Initiative isn't the same as human testing. I had been- experimenting- with human DNA before you showed up. You were the perfect subject to experiment painful procedures on. The experiment was successful. Now I can continue to test both human and android test subjects simultaneously. Even if the human happens to be an overly destructive moron." "I AM NOT A MORON!" I yell. I hear cold laughter and then there is silence. I pull my knees up to my chest. I feel alone, more alone than I had when I was stranded in space. I feel more liquid on my face. The first liquid is dried already, but this new liquid comes away clear. I lick it. It tastes funny. I try to scrape off the dried liquid. The flakes come off easily. It looks almost red, but lighter, almost a purple-pinkish color. GLaDOS speaks again. "The blood was the hardest part. I used a friendly substitute instead, completely harmless." The way she had said harmless makes shivers run down my spine. Well, getting rid of the blood in my body, poor substitute or not, seems to be a terrible idea, so I guess I would have to wait and see if I was to die a slow and painful death. I would probably end up dying like that anyway, knowing GLaDOS. I sigh. Now seemed a good a time as any. I stand up and press the button. Nothing happens for a couple of seconds. Then a panel on the floor rises up to reveal a Companion Cube and- the Portal Gun? I had thought there was only one. Maybe not. But then- where was Chell? Was she still in the facility? I realize that I don't want to know. She hates me, I know she does. Who wouldn't after the one person trying to save their life betrays them in favor of attempted murder? Even I hate myself. So I guess that means everyone I know hates me. I cautiously walk over and grab the Portal Gun. I fumble for a few seconds before I finally manage to hold it somewhat correctly in my right hand. It feels wrong, though. The weight isn't even and the device seems to scrape harshly against my skin. I set it down. Then I look at my hands and realize that my left arm has this white stuff wrapped around it. I pick the device up again, but this time I hold it in my left hand. It feels infinitely better now. I look at the companion cube. Am I supposed to take it with me? I decide to go ahead and take it. It might help me later on. I look around for an exit before I realize that there_ isn't_ an exit. I turn around and gasp. The hallway I entered from is gone too. I'm stuck in an empty room with a stupid cube and a gun that shoots holes. Perfect. I sigh, set down the cube, and sit down on it. I hadn't been human for more than half an hour and I was suddenly very, very tired. I close my eyes. Just before Sleep Mode activates, I hear a voice, devoid of emotion, whisper in my ear, "There's always room in Android Hell. You moron." And I am yet again left in the dark.

**A/N Sorry it took me so long to update. School's been absolutely crazy. I have eight projects due in the next two weeks. I'll try to update more, especially since I hate waiting to write the good parts. Well, until next time!**


	3. Running Away (from Science)

I can't see anything but the flames that engulf me. I can feel my systems overheating and I know that I won't be able to keep working if I stay here much longer. But I don't have a choice. I don't seem to be able to move. Is the Management Rail jammed? I look up and nothing is there. I look down and staring back at me is the deepest, darkest, and most menacing pit I have ever seen. I try to yell, but I can barely let out more than an awkward squeaking noise. I can feel myself falling, still on fire, down to what is either a horrible death or an even worse fate...

I jump up. I can hear screaming. Am I screaming? I think it is me. An annoyed voice comes over the intercom. "You were dreaming, moron." I can dream? "I can dream?" I can honestly say that this is a first. I'm trembling and feel colder than I have ever felt. Even colder than when I was in space. _Space_! Which, in case you didn't know, is incredibly cold. I do not recommend visiting. Even for a short summer vacation, because it is not worth it. I wipe away some water stuff of the back of my neck. Am I supposed to drink it? What sort of water was I supposed to drink, anyways? I really need a manual for these sorts of things. Even though I wouldn't read it. It's worth just knowing that there is a manual in the incinerator somewhere that I can probably manage to somehow retrieve if absolutely necessary. Which is very unlikely. I look at my surroundings. I somehow managed to move into a new room that consisted of one door at the very back corner. And of course the giant pit filled with toxins blocking my path to the door and the blue tunnel way up in the air, as well as the added task of trying to figure out how to work the portal gun, which seemed to be very important to solve this. More important than the other stuff I have previously mentioned. Probably should have said that first. Oh, well. I lift the portal gun up and press a button. An orange portal appears on the wall next to the door. I look to my left and shoot a blue portal on the wall next to me. I stand and pick up the Companion Cube before stepping through the portal. The door is now literally two feet away. "I cannot believe that actually worked," I say, more to myself than anyone else. I enter the doorway and walk into a narrow, dimly lit hallway. The door slides closed behind me. "Well done. You completed the test in the allotted time span. And you almost beat the record. Which is zero. So congratulations. You moron." "I AM NOT A MORON!" I yell back. Does GLaDOS have to call me a moron every single time she talks to me? Those are completely unfair accusations. I sigh. I'm just happy that my first test was easy. Actually, I have no idea how I managed to solve that. I literally just shot portals into the walls and somehow managed to not die. Which is definitely progress. Progress is good. Actually, progress is excellent, but I don't need to get into that right now. I look down the hallway. There's an elevator at the end. Brilliant. Elevators are cool. I take a step forward and just so happen to spot an alcove hidden in the dilapidated walls. I change course and slip inside. It's quite small, to be honest. And the panels are falling off the walls, revealing the various wires and machines inside. There's one cord that sticks out, literally. It's almost entirely out of the wall, hanging in there by barely an inch. That, and the fact that it is a bright red wire, majorly attracts my attention. I can honestly say that I won't be able to tell you what happened in those last thirty seconds.

I distinctly remember slightly pulling on the wire, and it falling out of its socket, and the entire room shaking violently. I think I fell down a couple of times. I do remember somehow being a tangled heap of limbs in a field. I look up. I can see the sky! It's so blue and has big, fluffy white clouds and I am so happy to see the sky! I stand up excitedly and promptly fall down again because the ground is shaking. Smoke is pouring out of cracks that are forming in the ground. I scramble to my feet and run away from what appears to be the entire ground collapsing. Not that I've ever experienced that before. That I can remember. I get up and start to run, which is harder than it sounds. The only noise is my feet pounding the earth beneath them. I think this field is endless. I've been running forever and all I see in any direction is the yellow grass. I trip suddenly. I look back and see a circular hole in the ground. I gasp. That must be where I crashed when I fell back to Earth! Which explains why I saw yellow before I blacked out. So that's one question answered. Out of a lot. No worries, if I don't die in this field, there is a large 40% chance that those questions could be possibly be answered. I scramble to my feet and continue running. The cracks have stopped following me, but I can practically feel the way GLaDOS is struggling to recapture me. This is the first time I've ever been in the real world; I'm not going back that fast. I keep running, although I'm out of breath. Which should have been mentioned in my human manual that I never received, that when you run you lose oxygen. I think I see a lake ahead. I run faster, only to run into something and fall yet again. I climb to my feet. There's nothing in front of me. I try to step forward and feel something blocking me. I put my hand out. It connects with the cold, smooth surface of a wall. The image of the lake ripples underneath my fingers. I sigh softly, then scream and pound the wall. I still refuse to go back. I can't go back. Keeping my hand on the wall, I run, trying to find the crack of a door or something that can get me out. As it turns out, I didn't need to look that hard. There is a gaping hole in the wall, surrounded by rubble. I approach it slightly more cautious than I have been. I peer out and see a flat, green plain dotted with trees. Wary of the hole, I climb out and instantly feel as if a weight has been taken off my chest. I look back at the hole. Suddenly it dawns on me- Chell must have made it. She escaped. I can still find her! Where I can find her is going to be a problem though. I start running again. My thoughts, for once, are entirely focused, in this case on escape. There is no guarantee that I am entirely out of Aperture Science and I'm not taking any chances. I run through the field, past lakes and forests and hills, and I don't stop until I collapse. It's dark by now. I don't want to stop, but my eyelids feel so heavy, and my body aches, and I slowly drift into darkness, thinking about how I never told her that I was sorry.

**Sorry that I'm a day and 3 hours late! I only have two excuses: my inexcusable laziness and the fact that I got my Xbox controller back. Sorry! I feel guilty. I hope this chapter makes up for the lateness. Wheatley has escaped! Dum-dum-dommm! What will happen next? I honestly have no idea, so we'll have to see later (hopefully) this week. I am so tired. And I'm rambling. I want to apologize if Wheatley doesn't seem British enough. I am still, sadly, not British. So that makes me sad. I also wanted to make a couple of shout outs to my first reviewers and followers. I love you guys so much! **_**Followers: StarlightSonic, ClassicFilmFanatic, **_**and**_** Captain Cynthia, **_**and**_** Reviewers:**____**Maybeawriter **_**and**_** ByakurenBreak**_


	4. In The Land of the Living

It took approximately one week, four days, and three hours to reach a civilization. It probably didn't help that I would stop ever couple of feet, complaining to anything that was alive about how hard it was to be human. If I knew that it would involve so much work, then I would have happily stayed in space, sulking about how unfair it was that I was stranded in space. And thinking about it, I probably could have just said that my trip took about a week and a half, but where's the fun in that? Anyways, the civilization that I happened to stumble upon was a rundown town with a rusty crooked sign reading: M rq et e, Michigan; Popu tion: 21,355

The town sat on a large lake, the same lake that I had been walking along, in fact. There were several buildings around, most of them collapsing, rusted, scorched, and the like. I could imagine what the town had looked like, when there were still over 20,000 people left to live here. I could imagine what it was like before the blue clouds came. I had seen the storms from space, similar to a tornado in aspect. I had seen once green or at least yellow areas turn black after a storm had passed. I had seen the whole planet thrown off balance, and I was just now understanding what that meant. There was no guessing what had happened here, or anywhere else that I could possibly go, because I already. Before the storm, however, it must have beautiful. The buildings were much nicer than the other crumbling shelters I had passed during the week. They were more elaborate, anyways.

The first sign that this place was different was the lack of bodies. I know, that sounds morbid. But everywhere I had passed, city-wise, had their corpses. This place didn't. I could even spot some mounds here and there, but I was only willing to assume at this point. Digging further, whether it be figuratively or literally, would be pointless. The second sign was more obvious and less macabre. The buildings got, well, neater. The further into the town I walked, the less the buildings were disintegrating into dust and the more the buildings looked almost fresh. I ran into a person just past the first new house, one that wasn't crumbling in the slightest. It was a midget person, short and round-faced and happy. I accidently knocked her on her bum and she started giggling! Then she looked at me, the studied my face carefully. Just as I started to say hello, she scrambled backwards, got up and ran almost I fast as I had after my Escape. Which, in case you wondering, needs to be referred to with a capital 'E.' It was that important. Speaking of which, I now seemed to be surrounded my non-midget people who all looked angry. I would later learn the difference between children and adults, but at the moment all I could see was the large blade in the hands of these people's apparent leader. He wasn't the largest man there by far, but his air of superiority surpassed that of the stronger men, and he was one of the few who looked like he knew what he was doing. My mid-section-or stomach, was it? – felt unusual, uncomfortable. I felt my body give a small, almost invisible shudder. I was scared. I had never been scared before, not like this. The Escape felt like raw panic, my whole mind went blank, and I felt every shake the earth gave was the end of my short life. This was different, with the shortness of breath, the tightness in my chest, and the (already mentioned) queasy stomach. These feelings were the same, but they were so very different. I looked into the leader's eyes. I could see an expanse of light brown specked with darker tones of brown, which complemented his fair hair and light skin tone. If he wanted to appear so, this man could look very nice. As it was, I could clearly see that I had somehow managed to make this man very, very mad, at me, and I had no idea what I did. The knife was suddenly on my throat. The coolness of the blade contrasted with the wall of warm bodies pressed to my back, although they were both immensely terrifying. I felt my eyes prick at the edges, like more sharp knives were trying to prod me, and my vision blurred. My throat made a half-choked sound. If my vision had been better, I might have seen uncertainty in the eyes of several of the adults surrounding me.

It was then that my savior arrived. He was an average height, well built, with unkempt black hair. He looked to be in the perpetual state of being rushed, and was panting heavily. But the moment he stepped in the circle surrounding me, the mass of people backed off. He eyed the knife still pressed to my throat, then his eyes wandered to my face, then to my clothes, his eyes lingering on the hole in my side that still had dried blood from the explosion during the Escape. "At ease." All at once, the men scattered. The street cleared out, and left in the wake was the newest stranger, the stranger with the knife, which was fortunately not pressed into my skin any longer, and me. I rubbed at my eyes with the back of my hand. I saw the new stranger, with the black hair and blue-gray eyes, and I involuntarily relaxed at the sight of him. He didn't radiate sunshine, but I already knew that he was kind and likely wiser than his years might suggest. It was hidden delicately in the way he stood, in the gentle way he let his eyes roam. Wow, that was poetic of me. He didn't seem to want to berate me for whatever I had done to offend these people so quickly. "What's your name, son?" My eyes jerked up to the black haired stranger, my mouth agape. "Uh, oh, um, it's…" I paused, looking into the man's eyes. "My name is Wheatley." I saw his eyes widen a fraction. The fair haired man, however, snorted. "What sort of a name is that?" I frowned, but before I could speak the nice man had already started to talk. "It's a name I am familiar with. Can you come with me, Wheatley?" I just stared at him for a second before I remembered what little social graces I had. "Y-yes sir." I had an urge to add 'Mr. Johnson' to the end, but failed to see how that would benefit anybody. I had to jog to keep up with the man, because even though we were near the same height, my experience to moving on my own was rather limited, since I tended to stick to Management Rails or have someone carry me around. I thought about Chell again. I wondered if she had changed any. "You seem different than I was told," the man said as easily as if continuing a conversation. I stopped for a moment before starting to jog again. I took another moment before I opened my mouth. "How different?" The man eyed me thoughtfully. "I was told that you were of low mental and social understanding and lacked the skills to- well, to be rather blunt, I was told that you were frequently called out to be a moron," he stepped away from me slightly as I tensed up, "I was told that you had bad ideas and didn't think very much, and was unsystematic at the best of times." I felt the anger bubble around in my chest. I was not stupid. I was not a moron. I could just as smart as anybody. I looked at the man. He started to talk again. I attempted to tune him out by scrutinizing the row of houses lined along the street until I heard, "…Seems to me that you think quite a lot. I don't know for certain. I'm under the impression that there is a lot more to you than I was made to believe." I looked at him again. "Who told you about me?" "You're about to find out. Now, you haven't answered my question. At least explain why you are, for lack of a better term, less random than the 'every two seconds he mentions something irrelevant' I have been warned about." I glared at him. He waited. I sighed, "Well, I can be, sometimes. Random, that is. But lately, there have been so many things on my mind, and I feel all tight and I can't focus on anything but what is right in front of me. I feel- disconnected, somewhat." The man nods. "What's your name?" I ask. The man gives me a sideways glance, then says, "Daniel." I nod slowly. We are both silent for a couple of minutes, before we reach a metal door in one of the few remaining old buildings that remains still standing and at least mostly whole, minus the small chunk of what must the top floor, judging to its proximity to the roof. Daniel stopped here and smiled at me. "This is our stop." I looked at the metal door, then back at Daniel. "What's here?" I ask. Daniel just pulls the door open, disappearing into whatever darkness lays hidden behind that door. I grab the handle to keep the door from closing, almost without thinking. I hesitated. I had a choice here, and very large one. I knew nothing of where I was or who I was with, physical details aside. I could be walking straight into a trap. I could be forced back to the facility, or killed. I look intently at the door handle that I still grasp. I take a deep breath. Maybe, this could turn into a second chance. I might get to start again. I smile at that thought. I pull the door open and step into the darkness.

**A/N: Oh. My. UNICORNKHAJIITIPRINCESSOFTHEHOLYCAKE I AM SO LATE! I never wanted to be one those people who update months late, but then I did. I'm sorry! I had a whole chapter written up back in February, and then I turned around for about a minute and a half and my laptop was on the floor and entirely broken. And then I couldn't remember anything that I had written, and I had really bad writer's block, and then it was spring break, and testing week, and suddenly it had been two months. I feel bad! I'm a terrible person. I'm sorry. I'm also sorry if Wheatley seems OOC, I have no excuse for that one. I also didn't proofread this chapter, so I'm sorry for any mistakes I may have made. I hope to update quicker though, especially since I have the next chapter outlined already. And if you were wondering, the town I used is Marquette, Michigan. It's the largest city in Upper Michigan, and it's near Lake Superior. I hope nobody minds that I used that city. BTW: Some people have been wondering what I meant when I said "less advanced technology" and that basically means that there are no smartphones or laptops or much of that sort of thing. Dang, long A/N.**


	5. Talk to Me

I step forward and almost trip over my feet, until a strong hand grips my arm and pulls me down a hallway. Gradually, the halls get lighter, until I'm pulled into an open room. It was dim and dusty, with old boxes gathering dust on the walls. A large table sat in the middle of the room. There was only one other person in the room, a woman with brown hair, her back to them. Daniel stood there for a moment before clearing his throat. The woman's head whipped around to face them. Her shocked face melted into a bright smile. It looked fake. "Hi, Daniel." She eyed me, obviously evaluating me. I backed up slowly, towards the door. Daniel grabbed my arm. "This is Wheatley." He announced. The woman's eyes widened. "Wheatley, this is Hannah. Say hi." He lets go of my arm and moves to the table. "Um, hi." I say. The woman turns back to her work. I shift from foot to foot awkwardly. No one says anything for a while.

"Wheatley, come here." I walk to the table, where both Daniel and Hannah are hunched over the multitude of papers scattered over the table. Hannah points to a graph and whispers; Daniel just shakes his head, then turns to me. "Do you recognize this building?" He points to a concrete structure with a large parking lot out front. I stare at it. It clicks in the back of my mind, but I can't tell from where. "Um, maybe. A little bit." I pause. "Not really." Daniel chuckles. "How about this one?" This time the building is just an old, rusted shack. I shake my head but then stop. "Hey, wait! That's the thing that blew up!" Hannah looks up, aghast, and Daniel snorts. I smile. "Sure. That's part of Aperture. Or it was before its untimely demise." This time it was my turn to laugh. Hannah scowls at me. "This is important, boys." The disapproval is dripping from her voice. This statement, of course, sends both of us into a fit of laughter that lasts for a good minute and a half. It would have gone on a lot longer, but we are silenced when Hannah hits both of us in the face with a folder. A _very_ thick folder that hurt _a lot_. "So, now that we are through with _that_, I suggest that we get some work done before more damage is done." I stare at her. "Damage? What damage?" Daniel suddenly lets loose a string of words that didn't seem to be either meaningful or related, or nice. I knew I probably looked as shocked as I felt, and I could see Hannah smirking. Daniel turned back to me and sighed. "We need to talk." He turned to Hannah. "Alone." Hannah's mouth falls open and she stutters. Then she glares at me and stomps out. I watch her until she's gone.

"I don't think she likes me very much," I say softly. Daniel laughs loudly. "Oh, trust me, she doesn't like anyone. She barely tolerates me as it is." He pulls out an old chair from underneath the table and gestures towards it. "Sit, we really do need to talk." I cautiously sit down as Daniel pulls out a chair for himself. We sit in silence for a moment. "So," Daniel begins. "Um. Yeah. Hannah and I have been sort of… researching Aperture Science, for a while." I giggle. "You're researching the research facility." Daniel smiles, but he just looks tired, and so much older than he did just a few minutes ago. All the playfulness is gone. "Anyways, after the Black Mesa Incident-" I interrupt him to ask, "What's the Black Mesa Incident?" He sighs. "That's another long story I can't tell you right now. After it happened, though, we kept track of Aperture, to make sure that nothing went wrong there and further damaged the world." He pauses. "Well, not just us. There was a long line of people before us that researched Aperture as well. It's been dwindling lately. That's not the point. The point is that_ several_ years ago, Aperture was partially destroyed. Over the course of several _more _years, the whole facility began to deteriorate and the number of people detected inside dropped down to next to nothing. Then, about a decade ago, more of it was destroyed over the course of about a week. It ended in a spike in lunar activity and a portal storm near here. It destroyed most of the stable structures around here. This building is one of the few survivors. About two or three weeks ago, something crash landed in a field close to the remains of the facility. We went to investigate, but there was only a circular crater, still smoking, and a ditch where something round had been dragged to the shack you saw in the picture. A few days later, another portion of the facility exploded under _unknown circumstances_." The way Daniel said 'unknown circumstances' made my blood run cold. "Do you know anything about that? Anything at all?" I stare at him blankly. Did he actually know what happened? How could he? What if he… "Wheatley? Wheatley, are you okay?" I jerk my gaze to his face. I realize that my breathing is beginning to come in short gasps and my hands are trembling. I clear y throat. "Um, sorry." I say quickly. I purposely avoid Daniel's gaze. "Wheatley, I know that you must be scared. And I do know what happened, to you and to the facility." I look at him, surprised. "I know that you were once one of the Aperture Science Personality Constructs-" "Personality Cores," I interject. "Right. You were a Personality Core, and through unknown circumstance-" I interrupt again to say, "You really like saying that whole, 'unknown circumstances,' stuff." Daniel sighs. "Sorry.' I say quietly. "Through unknown circumstances became an artificial human." I frown. That 'artificial human' comment bothered me. It wasn't like it wasn't true, but I still felt uncomfortable talking about it, especially since I was still adjusting to the new mindset and movement/coordination portion of this whole thing. "It was GLaDOS." I say. "Hmmm?" Daniel looks utterly confused. "GLaDOS decided to experiment. According to her, at least. She said something along the lines of, 'I need a new human test subject, so I made you human.' Or something like that." Daniel nods for a moment. Then he pauses. "Well shit." I stare at Daniel as he gets up and begins to shift through the papers on the table. "Daniel, what's going on?" I ask. The aforementioned man stands still for a moment. Then he turns to look at me. "I think that whatever happened to the facility in the ten years you were gone have-" I stop him. "I was gone for _ten years_?!" I squeak out. Daniel places his head in his hands. He mutters something about hating his job. "Yes, you were gone for about ten years. And in those ten years, something major happened, something that I can't fully explain right now. I need you to do something for me." He needs _me _to do something? I didn't think anyone would ever need me to do anything important, especially since I messed up so badly the last time. "What is it?" I ask, slightly wary. Daniel looks at me with an expression of pity. "I need you to find Chell." I think I stop breathing when I hear those words. I had _wanted_ to find Chell, but I hadn't actually thought I'd be able to get very far. I look at Daniel. He is completely serious. He actually wants me to do this. Oh god. Oh my god. "How?" I ask weakly. Daniel shakes his head. "We know of a few places she's been, but we don't know where she went from them. If you could go there, talk to people she's talked to, and find out we she ended up, that would be highly appreciated." I look at Daniel warily. "Is that the only reason you brought me here? To help with your _research_?" Daniel sighs, which is becoming quite a normal occurrence. "I brought you here because I found a man with his knife pressed to your throat. And with the way your luck seems to be running, I wouldn't count on it being the last." I feel a wave of guilt. "I'll help you." Daniel smiles weakly. "Thank you. I really do appreciate your help." I nod. "What do I have to do?" Daniel pulls out a folder from the mass of papers and flips it open. He lays out an old map. "Okay, so the last known location of Chell was here," He points to an isolated town just inside the faded border of somewhere called Florida. "People call it the Black Marsh."

**A/N: Well. So much for regular updates. At least school is out so I can finally focus my attention on something important. Like updating fics and watching the new season of Teen Wolf. Which I'm thinking of writing a fic for. Maybe. I've decided to give up thinking of plausible excuses to use. I'll stick with I'm sorry. Completely not changing the subject, how many of you have seen Star Trek Into Darkness? I saw it in IMAX and I'm still fangirling. J.J. Abrams is a god among men. Seriously. I might write a fic for that fandom too. And have you noticed that I have a problem with rambling? So, I'll take my leave then! Tell me what you think and I'll update faster. It's a fact. Because I have a serious memory problem and had kept forgetting to update until **_**Sparklight Prime **_**favorited my story. I love you! I send up a multitude of cake. Which isn't a lie. It will be given out at the end of this story (if that ever happens). BTW, I want to see if anyone gets the reference I threw in there (it's not from Portal). I'll think of a reward when my mental capacity is able to handle it. And I'll update again, I swear! I won't disappear from the face of the Earth again. And this isn't beta'd, so I apologize now while I can. And I really need to give my sister's laptop back now. Happy summer! **


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